South Dakota Right-of-Way practice test

Practice who goes first at intersections, crosswalks and roundabouts: 40 questions based on the South Dakota Driver's License Manual, 12 of them on South Dakota's own rules.

Key South Dakota facts: Right-of-Way

  • Cars in a funeral procession keep the right-of-way only if each one runs with headlights, taillights and hazard flashers on, stays close to the car ahead and gives way to emergency vehicles. SDCL 32-26-54
  • A driver not in a funeral procession may not pass the vehicles in the procession on any two-lane highway or roadway. SDCL 32-26-55, subdivision (3)
  • A driver approaching a school bus with flashing red lights must stop at least 15 feet away and remain stopped until the lights are off. SDCL 32-32-6, first paragraph
  • On a highway with fewer than two lanes each way, a driver approaching a school bus with amber lights flashing must slow to 15 mph or less and proceed with caution. SDCL 32-32-6, first paragraph
  • A violation of the school bus signal law is a Class 1 misdemeanor. SDCL 32-32-6, last paragraph

Sample Right-of-Way questions

On a two-lane road, a school bus ahead has its amber warning lights flashing. How fast may you pass it?

  • At the posted limit, with caution
  • At 15 mph or less, with caution
  • At 25 mph or less, with caution
  • At 35 mph or less, with caution
Show the answer

At 15 mph or less, with caution

The amber lights warn that the bus is about to stop.

Source: SDCL 32-32-6, SDCL 32-32-6, first paragraph

At a diverging diamond interchange, what is true of left turns onto the freeway?

  • They must stop at a red signal before getting on the ramp
  • They are free flow, with no stop needed to reach the ramp
  • They must yield to all oncoming traffic before turning
  • They are not allowed, so drivers go around instead
Show the answer

They are free flow, with no stop needed to reach the ramp

Vehicles going straight proceed through a second set of signals.

Source: South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024), General Driving, Intersections, Diverging Diamond Interchange, PDF p. 42

You are driving on a two-lane highway and come up behind a funeral procession. What does South Dakota law say?

  • You may pass on the right shoulder
  • You may pass if you stay under the speed limit
  • You may not pass the vehicles in the procession
  • You may pass if you signal first
Show the answer

You may not pass the vehicles in the procession

On a road with two or more lanes in your direction, you may pass the procession if you can do so safely.

Source: SDCL 32-26-55, SDCL 32-26-55, subdivision (3)

Flaggers and warning signs tell you that people are working on the road. What does the law require?

  • Yield the right-of-way to the workers
  • Pass them on the shoulder if it is clear
  • Honk to warn them to move aside
  • Drive through at the speed limit without stopping
Show the answer

Yield the right-of-way to the workers

Failing to do so is a Class 2 misdemeanor.

Source: SDCL 32-27-10, SDCL 32-27-10

A funeral procession follows a police escort through an intersection against a red light. What must each vehicle in the procession show?

  • A white flag attached to the antenna or the mirror
  • Horns sounding continuously through each intersection
  • Lighted headlamps, tail lamps and flashing hazard lamps
  • A flashing amber light on the roof of each vehicle
Show the answer

Lighted headlamps, tail lamps and flashing hazard lamps

The vehicles must also follow the one ahead as closely as is safe and yield to approaching emergency vehicles.

Source: SDCL 32-26-54, SDCL 32-26-54; South Dakota Driver License Manual (revised 11/2024), Rules of the Road, Yielding Right-of-Way, Funeral Processions, PDF p. 31

What level of offense is it to fail to stop for a school bus with its red lights flashing?

  • A petty offense
  • A Class 6 felony
  • A Class 1 misdemeanor
  • A Class 2 misdemeanor
Show the answer

A Class 1 misdemeanor

A vehicle used in the violation by an unknown driver also faces a $250 civil penalty.

Source: SDCL 32-32-6, SDCL 32-32-6, last paragraph; SDCL 32-32-9, SDCL 32-32-9

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About these questions

We wrote these practice questions from the facts in the South Dakota Driver's License Manual (Driver's License Manual (English), South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program; 72 PDF pages, the last page says 'REVISED 11/2024' (PDF file metadata: created 2025-12-02, modified 2026-06-30); linked as 'Driver's License Manual - English' on the DPS page South Dakota Driver License and Motorcycle Manuals (https://www.sd.gov/dps?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0043733), read 2026-11-10. Page numbers cited are PDF pages, which equal the printed page numbers. PDF pp. 15-16 (blood stem cell and organ donor pages) and 69-70 (office lists) were not used. The manual has no speed-limit, insurance-minimum or crash-reporting-threshold sections, so those rules come from South Dakota Codified Laws read on sdlegislature.gov on 2026-11-10 (Titles 22, 32, 35 and ARSD 61:06:01:06); the section lists showed no amendment after SL 2025. Handbook statements that differ from or go beyond current law and how they were handled: (1) rural-highway parking (PDF p. 43: 15 feet of road width, visible 500 feet) differs from SDCL 32-30-2 (20 feet clear width, clear view from 200 feet); not tested, and the owner may want to note it; (2) first-offense DWI penalty text (PDF p. 20: fine $300-$1,000, 15-365 days in jail, license loss 90-365 days) differs from SDCL 32-23-2 (Class 1 misdemeanor, court must revoke at least 30 days, up to one year in jail and $2,000); questions use the statute and the 30-day minimum the manual also gives; (3) zero tolerance (PDF p. 20: 'second or subsequent' 180 days) differs from SDCL 32-23-21 (one year for a third or later offense); only first and second offenses are tested; (4) phones (PDF p. 19 lists texting, reading texts and social networking) is narrower than SDCL 32-26-47.1 (any mobile electronic device, Class 2 misdemeanor, exceptions for calls, emergencies, navigation and hands-free use); questions follow the statute; (5) the instruction permit section (PDF p. 8) omits the SDCL 32-12-11 rule that between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. a parent or guardian must sit beside the holder; a question uses the statute; (6) the restricted permit section (PDF p. 8) omits the SDCL 32-12-12.5 limit of one non-family passenger under 18 after six months; questions use the statute and the DPS teen page; (7) school buses (PDF p. 43 says always stop for red lights) omits SDCL 32-32-6 details (stop at least 15 feet away, amber lights mean 15 mph or less on roads with fewer than two lanes each way, no stop for a bus on the other side of a road with two or more lanes each way); questions use the statute; (8) following distance is a minimum of 4 seconds in the manual (PDF p. 51) but the DPS teen page tip says to teach the three-second rule, so following_seconds uses the manual and is noted; (9) large-truck stopping distance is 290 feet (PDF p. 62) and 335 feet (PDF p. 63), so it is not tested; (10) the 200-foot distance behind snowplows (PDF p. 67) and the 500-foot U-turn sight distance (PDF p. 39) were not found in the statutes read, so they are not tested; (11) the manual is silent on left turn on red, which SDCL 32-28-4.1 leaves to city ordinance for one-way-to-one-way turns; a question uses the statute. Fees (PDF p. 7), points (PDF p. 14), window tint (PDF p. 24) and move-over (PDF p. 2) match the statutes. edition) and from official sources on road signs. Every answer links to its source, so you can check it and read more.

DMV Decoded is an independent guide, not a government agency. This practice test is not connected to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, Driver Licensing Program, and your actual test will have different questions. Study the handbook, and check the agency's website for current rules.